Fort Calhoun , Nebraska -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tim Nellenbach is on a mission as he shows a small group of journalists around his workplace . The manager of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant and his colleagues are bent on dispelling rumors about the condition of their facility : rumors about a meltdown , about a loss of power . The rumors are patently false , they say , and it 's frustrating to have to deal with them while also battling a genuine crisis .

These officials are also acutely aware of comparisons to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March , which crippled a nuclear power plant there , leading to the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 .

`` There 's no likelihood of a Fukushima-like incident here , '' Nellenbach says .

So does Gary Gates , CEO of the Fort Calhoun plant .

`` It is not another Fukushima . The difference is the rapid flooding that occurred at Fukushima . This was a predicted event , to a degree , from the Corps of Engineers . The floodwaters at Fort Calhoun are outside the plant . There is no water inside the plant . The reactor is covered with borated water . The spent fuel is covered with borated water , which we want it to be . That 's intentional . That 's where it should be . The floodwaters are outside Fort Calhoun , not inside , '' Gates explains .

Still , there is a genuine crisis at the plant . Floodwaters from the swollen Missouri River have engulfed this facility . The parking lots are underwater . The river 's fast-paced currents are swirling against several buildings in this compound . Catwalks had to be constructed to allow workers to move from one building to the next . The buildings housing the reactor core , the spent fuel rods and other crucial components are protected by small levees and aqua-berms . But outside those barriers , the water is at least 2 feet above ground level .

Officials are keeping a close eye on the network of power transformers here . The transformers are surrounded by floodwater and high-velocity pumps are continually pumping water away from them . The transformers power internal pumps , which operate cooling systems keeping the reactor core and the spent fuel rods from overheating .

`` Maintaining electrical power , operating the pumps , is our biggest concern for the station , and we 're able to fully do that at this time , '' Nellenbach says . Officials say the plant went off the power grid temporarily on Sunday and was powered by backup generators , but they say it is now back on the grid .

The Fort Calhoun plant has been offline since early April for a re-fueling operation . It was scheduled to be back online in mid-June , according to officials here , but the flooding has delayed that . Now , they anticipate the plant will remain offline through the month of August , until the floodwaters completely recede .

`` What 's keeping me up at night is making sure that we 're going to have electricity for everybody , '' says Gates . `` Electricity is so important to ... the mitigation efforts of our whole community . Fort Calhoun 's safe . It 'll continue to be safe . ''

Gates and his colleagues say the water has not breached the buildings housing the reactor core and the spent fuel rods , and they 're confident it wo n't . Those buildings and the barriers protecting them are designed to withstand flooding extending 1,014 feet above sea level . The water is now at about 1,006 feet , and they say they do not expect it to exceed 1,008 feet .

Officials did not allow journalists directly into the rooms housing the reactor core and the spent fuel rods , but did allow them to view those rooms via closed-circuit cameras . The rooms did not appear to be damaged by floodwater .

Gates says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission cited the Fort Calhoun plant in 2009 for not being adequately prepared for a flooding event . Since that time , he says , they 've taken steps to upgrade safeguards for the facility , and he says NRC officials were satisfied with the handling of the current flooding . Still , NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko had solemn words for the staff of Fort Calhoun after touring the plant on Monday .

`` In the end , '' Jaczko said , `` this challenge is yours . ''

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The Fort Calhoun nuclear plant is surrounded by floodwaters

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Unlike the Fukushima nuclear plant , the water has n't breached vital buildings

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Fort Calhoun officials say the situation is under control